I wasn't sure where to post this, because it isn't really a "serious" thread, it was just a curiosity one. I didn't know if I should put it in General Questions (because it is just curiosity?) or in the Business (it is also an investment - can help you save on home owners insurance).
How many people have a security system, and how many have one that is actually monitored (having a monitoring/dispatch service if the alarm goes off)?
How many have any type of camera (CCTV) system?
There have been posts on security things, like keeping guns, but I was curious if anyone has a system in their house, car, etc.
I know you can get them for pretty cheap with cheap monitoring now, and it seems like not a lot of people have them it seems like.
I know of a company in NE Texas that seems to have a pretty good reputation and they said even just getting a basic package (whatever that may be) runs pretty cheap f/ installation and monitoring.
Any feedback?

Location: In the Mountains by a Lake somewhere in Northern , Mexifornia .

Posts: 13,297

Re: Security Systems

I have a security system in my home , all doors and windows are bugged , the system is monitored 24 hours a day. Cost for monitoring is $ 20 per month cost to install system was $1200. I am very happy with my system

My husband wires homes for low-voltage and security is one of the things he does. He charges based on if it's a home in the construction phase or already existing, how many windows it has, floors, fancy add-ons like window-breaks, motions, etc.

He also does CCTV for businesses and some homes. His clients unfortunately are usually broken into or vandalized before they'll pay for a system like that.

Be really careful, especially with those central station systems that automatically notify the local police station. A pregnant Newton, NH woman was shot in her own driveway by a police officer when she accidentally tripped the alarm while struggling with her house keys and a bag of groceries. She survived and sued the town, big-time, using a high-powered Boston-based law firm. She could have just as easily been killed. You never know if the police officer who responds to the alarm will be a calm veteran or a very nervous rookie type. A good set of locks, installed by a professional locksmith, and adequate interior/exterior lighting will make your home or business very unattractive to a burglar.

Really? When did that happen?
I thought the security companies got their systems to where when the alarm goes off, a person from their dispatch center calls the premises first to make sure it is not a false alarm (asking for the "abort code") and proceeding from there (if bad/no abort code, they call the police). I didn't know they still had some directly tied into the police dispatch.

Location: In the Mountains by a Lake somewhere in Northern , Mexifornia .

Posts: 13,297

Re: Security Systems

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maverick_262

Really? When did that happen?
I thought the security companies got their systems to where when the alarm goes off, a person from their dispatch center calls the premises first to make sure it is not a false alarm (asking for the "abort code") and proceeding from there (if bad/no abort code, they call the police). I didn't know they still had some directly tied into the police dispatch.

My system goes through the security company and they in turn call the police . Also alarms have a delay time , 30 seconds to 1 minute. I also doubt the police arrive so soon on this woman. Try calling the Police and see how long before they come out.

Really? When did that happen?
I thought the security companies got their systems to where when the alarm goes off, a person from their dispatch center calls the premises first to make sure it is not a false alarm (asking for the "abort code") and proceeding from there (if bad/no abort code, they call the police). I didn't know they still had some directly tied into the police dispatch.

It happened back in the 1990's. The alarm was wired directly to the Newton Police Department, and the incredibly fast response time was coincidental, because the officer who took the radio call was driving down the same street. The suit was delayed until after the baby was born, because the Boston law firm (also licensed in NH) was planning to eat the officer and the department alive if anything happened to the kid. The lawsuit was for substantial money, because the lady lost about 2" of bone in her upper leg from the .357 bullet. Don't know the disposition of the lawsuit or the status of the trigger-happy officer, though.